


Helping Hands

by SkyFireForever



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Boyfriends, Cooking, Fluff, M/M, Science, Science Bros, Sleep Deprivation, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Boyf, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro, bruce needs to take care of himself, pre-established, self-care
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-10
Updated: 2018-07-10
Packaged: 2019-06-08 11:05:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15242007
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SkyFireForever/pseuds/SkyFireForever
Summary: Bruce has never been very good at taking care of himself. Lucky for him, he doesn't have to.





	Helping Hands

Bruce was huddled over a table covered from one end to the other in bubbling beakers, whizzing instruments, and open flames that he should probably be keeping an eye on; and yet, here he was, not bothering to even check on them. His glasses were foggy and had smudges across the lenses that he couldn’t seem to get rid of. He doubted that he would have been able to see clearly even if his glasses were as clear and clean as they possibly could have been, with how utterly exhausted he was. There were heavy bags under his eyes and he was running on what might have been twelve cups of coffee a day. He would have kept count if the days hadn’t blurred together. 

He knew that he should sleep. He was well aware of how unhealthy and unhygienic his state of living currently was, but he couldn’t afford to stop now. He was on the verge of a breakthrough, he could feel it. When he was this close, sleeping didn’t matter. Neither did eating or showering or drinking anything more than black coffee that came directly from the coffee pot stored in his lab. He could take care of himself once he was done. In the meantime, only this one thing mattered.

Bruce took a seat, peering into one of his many microscopes to examine the blood sample he had manage to acquire. He studied it closely, but couldn’t find anything abnormal about it, not even the usual abnormalities that made it different from human blood. As a matter of fact, he couldn’t see anything. It took him several minutes to even realize that he hadn’t plugged the microscope in. He took a breath and leaned back, removing his glasses so he could massage his eyelids. He just had to power through this. He couldn’t worry about how exhausted he was and he couldn’t allow that to get in the way of his research.

He had only meant to rest his eyes for a moment, to allow them a moment’s relief from the bright lights of the room, but when he awoke, he was lying on the tile floor in a vaguely sticky substance. He blinked repeatedly to allow his eyes to adjust to presence of harsh light. He slowly sat up, wincing as his back cracked in multiple places, far too loudly in the enclosed space. Within a few moments, the blurry figures surrounding him came into focus, becoming clearer and having more defined outlines. It was only then that he noticed a hulking figure standing above him, an expression of genuine concern spread across his lightly bearded face.

“Banner.” Thor’s worried voice broke through whatever thoughts Bruce might have started to form. “Are you alright? Why are you lying upon the ground?” He quickly took Bruce’s arm and lifted him clean off the ground before placing him back on his feet. “You look terrible, my friend.”

Bruce blinked and fixed his Asgardian boyfriend with a look of exasperation. “Love you too.” He grumbled sarcastically, turning away from the blond to make sure that nothing had caught fire while he was unconscious. He felt frustration boil to the surface, as it often did when he was exhausted or sleep deprived. He was quicker to snap or to feel offended by the smallest things. It was actually a fairly common response to sleep deprivation, but given his condition, it wasn’t exactly something that could be written off when it concerned Bruce Banner. He couldn’t afford to get ticked off like Tony or Clint and have it be written off as “cranky Bruce” needing sleep.

”I did not mean any offense.” Thor said hurriedly, always understanding and gentle. “I’m just worried about you, my dearest.” He placed a comforting hand on Bruce’s shoulder until the scientist slowly turned to face him. “You have not left your lab in eight days. Everyone is concerned for your health.”

Bruce blinked. “Eight days?” That couldn’t be right. He was certain that he hadn’t stayed for more than five days, at the most. “No. No, I started my research on Sunday and it’s now…”

“The following Monday.” Thor said gently, blue eyes staring into brown. “You’ve been here for eight days. Have you eaten anything? Have you slept?”

Bruce sighed deeply. He had genuinely not realized that he’d been down there for so long. “No,” He mumbled, glancing at the work he had scattered across the table. “But I can’t afford to leave my work now.”

“Nonsense.” Thor quickly shook his head. “You have been working for far too long. You must rest. Now. Immediately. I will cook for you and we shall watch movies until you sleep.” He declared, not leaving any room for Bruce to argue. Bruce opened his mouth to protest, but he was pulling into strong arms and lifted bridal style, his head against Thor’s chest.

The smaller man sighed and decided not to protest, closing his eyes and settling against the god. “Yeah, okay.” He murmured, knowing that Thor was right. He had overworked himself and now it was time for a break.

**Author's Note:**

> I do enjoy feedback. It makes me want to keep writing more.


End file.
